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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: bay · wax · plane · spring · hand · deal · band · trunk

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — in cards
  6. spring — of water
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — help
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. band — a rubber band

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