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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: fall · sharp · bass · wax · chip · spring · plane · wake

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fall — the season
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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