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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · plane · can · wax · wave · trunk · mouse · cold

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mouse — the animal

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