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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: foot · tear · plane · can · coach · lean · cold · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lean — thin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. foot — a measure
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cold — not warm
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. tear — to rip
  24. can — a tin

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