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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: wax · pit · racket · march · chest · track · pitcher · fan

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — a song
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — a box
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — a jug

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