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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: deal · plane · foot · wax · mouse · rest · branch · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. rest — what's left
  5. deal — to handle
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — a division
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rest — a break
  24. foot — the bottom

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