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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: spring · net · cold · cell · wax · plane · ball · cabinet

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ball — a dance
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ball — a great time
  10. net — in sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — for sculpting

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