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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 · key · date · season · bound · calf · pitch · swing

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — music
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — tied together
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bound — obliged
  20. key — in music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. swing — to play on

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