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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 116 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: wax · pitch · bay · kid · cap · bark · chair · race

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. race — a contest
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chair — a leader
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bark — of a tree

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