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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · key · wax · pitch · clip · stem · degree · pitcher

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. key — in music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — a video
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — from a university

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