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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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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: pitch · rash · bay · staff · fall · mark · wax · wind

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — to pay attention

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