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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: saw · rock · coach · land · present · plane · spell · wax

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — a gift
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. present — the time now
  22. spell — letters
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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