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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · plane · wax · key · trunk · firm · wind · spell

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. plane — a tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — final
  11. key — the most important part
  12. firm — steady
  13. key — in music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — finally
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — to go on
  23. firm — decided
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com