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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 116 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: root · nail · pitch · land · wax · rash · plane · stock

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — to come down
  14. rash — a series
  15. wax — to grow
  16. land — a country
  17. root — the cause
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. root — of a word
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — shares

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