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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · season · firm · pitch · press · wax · wave · bowl

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. firm — steady
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. firm — a company
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. season — of the year
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — to push
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fine — high quality
  17. firm — decided
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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