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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: pitch · plane · sharp · race · branch · spell · wax · rest

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitch — completely
  8. spell — magic
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — a break
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. race — a contest
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spell — letters
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. race — humankind

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