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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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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: pass · ground · sharp · field · pitch · bark · degree · wax

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. field — a subject
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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