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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: staff · pitch · court · prune · club · lash · wax · plane

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — of a king
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — for dancing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. club — a group
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — to trim

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