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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: board · leaves · pitch · wax · suit · deal · saw · kid

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. suit — to fit
  3. board — a committee
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. board — to get on
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wax — to grow
  17. suit — clothes
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kid — child
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitch — completely
  24. suit — in cards

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