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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rest — a break
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — a city
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. capital — money
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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