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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: saw · clip · march · fan · pitch · wax · current · bore

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — to tire
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — electric
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fan — a supporter

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