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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. file — a tool
  22. march — music
  23. rush — hurry
  24. coach — a trainer

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