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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.

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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 · wax · content · last · fork · band · degree · patient

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — finally
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. content — the amount
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — final
  8. degree — temperature
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. degree — from a university
  11. band — a ring
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — to grow
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — happy
  24. wax — in the ear

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