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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · charge · bass · patient · calf · pitch · wax · fall

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — a position
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bass — low music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — a price
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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