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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 124 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
468
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: wax · plane · scale · present · jam · squash · cell · rash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — there
  3. cell — a phone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rash — a series
  12. wax — to grow
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rash — hasty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — the time now
  24. plane — an aircraft

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