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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: wound · row · craft · wax · stick · lean · pitch · march

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — boats
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — completely
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — a line

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