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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: leaves · pound · pass · club · mate · pitch · wax · kid

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. kid — to tease
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kid — child
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. club — a group
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — a permit

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