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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 120 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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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: ball · fall · wax · wave · plane · fork · capital · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — the season
  17. plane — a tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kick — with a leg

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