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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.

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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: content · ruler · wave · root · pitch · wax · cold · bay

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. content — happy
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — the amount
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — completely

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