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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · bat · fan · pitch · land · drill · swing · fork

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. land — ground
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. swing — music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. land — to come down
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — the tool

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