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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · key · fine · wax · degree · toast · field · plane

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — farmland
  8. toast — bread
  9. plane — a tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — for sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fine — all right
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fine — a penalty

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