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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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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: fork · wax · degree · can · face · pound · pitch · kick

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pound — a weight

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