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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: lean · trunk · wax · fan · game · band · squash · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. trunk — of a tree

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