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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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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: fall · fork · pitch · wax · rock · can · wave · kid

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. can — a tin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. can — a tin

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