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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: file · leaves · wax · nail · ball · cold · bulb · plane

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ball — a great time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — not warm

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