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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. charge — in control
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — the season
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stock — goods
  15. charge — a price
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — a division
  19. pitch — completely
  20. land — ground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — shares
  24. charge — electricity

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