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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.

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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: date · press · wax · plane · field · root · pop · bark

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — a tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. field — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. field — farmland
  24. bark — to shout

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