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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: mate · wax · current · band · field · date · mug · pitch

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mug — a face
  8. current — happening now
  9. mug — a cup
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — a friend
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mug — to rob
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. current — electric
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — of water
  19. field — for sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mate — a partner

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