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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pop — soda
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. field — a subject
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. band — a ring
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — farmland
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pop — music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a music group
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — a division

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