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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — thin
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. can — to be able to
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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