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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: wax · bulb · pitch · calf · bark · pound · ground · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — a position
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — a young animal

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