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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 116 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: lie · ground · present · wax · pitcher · pass · wound · racket

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wax — to grow
  19. present — a gift
  20. ground — crushed
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. racket — for tennis

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