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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 120 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: fine · wax · mine · clip · rush · wake · pitch · chest

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — completely
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. clip — a video

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