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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: craft · nail · cold · kick · wax · stick · plane · lean

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cold — not warm
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to bend
  9. craft — boats
  10. plane — a tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — in football
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lean — to rest against

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