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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 116 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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