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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: mark · plane · ground · rule · band · press · pitcher · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — to push
  4. ground — a position
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rule — a law
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — a tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rule — government
  21. press — a publisher
  22. band — a music group
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — newspapers

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