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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: fork · pitcher · trunk · chair · last · plane · season · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — final
  3. fork — in a road
  4. season — in sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. last — to go on
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. last — finally
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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