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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · plane · wax · season · chip · current · cabinet · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. current — electric
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rest — a break
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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