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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: wax · stem · sharp · wave · march · bass · field · plane

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — low music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — a tool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — farmland
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wax — to grow
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — the fish

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