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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.

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: mine · wax · ball · mark · arm · land · pitch · bark

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. land — to come down
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — to grow
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mine — for digging
  18. land — a country
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wax — for sculpting

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