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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: pitcher · swing · bore · last · fall · plane · bulb · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — finally
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. swing — in golf
  21. last — final
  22. swing — music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — in geometry

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