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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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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: kid · leaves · plane · wax · stock · straw · lash · cap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — child
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stock — goods
  24. cap — a hat

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