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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: swing · date · cell · stem · pitch · band · pass · wax

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cell — in biology
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. swing — music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. date — on the calendar

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