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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: stand · wax · saw · swing · plane · row · wound · season

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. season — in sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. season — of the year
  24. wax — to grow

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