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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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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: march · wax · hide · chest · key · stick · swing · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — the month
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — a box
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — to grow

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