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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: bay · pound · jam · race · wax · pitch · mouse · perch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — a weight
  5. perch — the fish
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wax — to grow
  10. race — humankind
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. race — a contest
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mouse — for a computer

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