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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — happy
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. can — to be able to
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. can — a tin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a list
  23. content — the amount
  24. can — a tin

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