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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: mate · plane · jam · trunk · cap · staff · season · wax

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. season — of the year
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cap — of ice
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. season — in sport

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