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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: kick · bark · mate · wax · row · mine · plane · patient

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — to shout
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mate — a friend
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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