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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: pitch · stem · row · hand · wax · wind · date · safe

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. row — to paddle
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — help
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stem — of a plant
  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