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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 116 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: stem · fan · wax · staff · pound · plane · ground · pitch

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ground — the earth
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitch — completely
  23. staff — employees
  24. wax — to grow

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