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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 120 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: last · bulb · net · wax · plane · bore · saw · fall

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bore — to drill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. last — to go on
  10. fall — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. net — after costs
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. plane — a tool

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