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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pop — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ground — a position
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — soda
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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