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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · craft · shower · kick · roll · wax · mine · calf

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. roll — a list
  5. wax — to grow
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. craft — boats
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — for digging
  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