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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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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 · plane · fork · wax · safe · prune · cell · pitch

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wax — to grow
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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