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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: stem · wax · wake · scale · plane · trunk · date · lean

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lean — to bend
  10. scale — in music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wax — to grow
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of a car

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