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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · pitcher · firm · pit · track · march · wax · pass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — a company
  5. track — to keep track
  6. firm — steady
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. track — a song
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. march — the month

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