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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 116 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: game · rest · plane · hand · wax · kick · season · saw

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — to grow
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. season — in sport
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — in cards
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — what's left

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