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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: dip · field · pitcher · spring · chip · pitch · wax · court

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chip — to eat
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — for sport

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