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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 120 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: plane · bark · net · band · wax · ball · wind · bulb

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a ring
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — for catching
  12. ball — a great time
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — after costs
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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