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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: wax · land · hand · ground · scale · bulb · plane · stick

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — help
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. land — ground
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — the earth
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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