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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: wax · leaves · bat · straw · capital · suit · roll · pitch

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bat — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. suit — to fit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. roll — a list
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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