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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 · wave · cap · face · cold · rock · racket

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — not warm
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rock — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cap — a hat

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