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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: nail · date · wax · bark · pop · wake · ball · pitch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — soda
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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