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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
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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: plane · cap · spring · scale · wax · pop · chest · safe

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — size or range
  3. spring — a coil
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wax — to grow
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chest — a box

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