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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: last · plane · staff · rock · deal · wax · fall · lean

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. fall — to drop
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. rock — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — to handle
  8. last — final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — to go on
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lean — thin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — employees
  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