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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 120 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: track · wax · rest · bark · cell · plane · spell · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rest — a break
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spell — magic
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — in biology

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