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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: plane · wax · straw · bark · mark · pitch · object · date

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — a grade
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. plane — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — a thing
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. plane — in geometry

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