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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.

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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: plane · land · current · object · saw · bound · wax · pass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — electric
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — happening now
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. object — an aim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — certain
  13. object — to protest
  14. current — of water
  15. object — a thing
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. land — to come down
  18. bound — tied together
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — ground
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — a country
  24. pass — to spend time

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