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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: wound · hand · plane · wax · bass · club · face · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. plane — a tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — low music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. club — for golf
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — help
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ground — a position
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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