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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.

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: rest · mouse · wax · last · wound · pitch · season · mug

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mug — a face
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. mug — to rob
  20. last — final
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  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