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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kid — child
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — a division
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — hurry

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