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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: pitcher · file · bass · bound · wax · stem · pitch · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — of a king
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — for sculpting

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