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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · fine · stem · wax · rock · spring · pitcher · lean

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spring — of water
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — a penalty

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