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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.

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: cap · track · last · plane · wax · wind · craft · leaves

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — to go on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. craft — boats
  14. track — a path
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — to grow
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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