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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: sharp · cabinet · mate · wax · content · game · bark · plane

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. sharp — clever
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. game — a match
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a friend
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. plane — a tool

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