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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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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: pitch · mark · wind · straw · vault · wax · rush · branch

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rush — hurry
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — a safe
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wax — for sculpting

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