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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 · clip · ground · pitch · stand · trunk · bass · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stand — to bear
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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