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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: plane · cap · pitcher · board · lean · mine · object · wax

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. board — a committee
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lean — thin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. object — to protest
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. object — a thing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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