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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: pass · pitcher · stand · drill · wax · saw · game · fork

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. game — a match
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wax — to grow

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