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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: last · pass · net · land · wax · plane · calf · tube

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. last — finally
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — a permit
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. land — a country
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. last — final
  11. tube — the underground
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. last — to go on
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. land — ground
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. land — to come down
  24. plane — a tool

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