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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: bore · plane · last · wax · degree · pass · calf · pitch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — final
  19. plane — a tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bore — to tire

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