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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 120 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: wax · march · pitcher · stem · field · stand · bank · swing

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — to play on
  12. march — the month
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — a stem cell

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