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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: plane · club · wax · bowl · face · bay · bound · pitcher

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. club — for golf
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bound — certain
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bowl — to roll

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