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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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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: tube · ruler · field · stick · pitch · hand · wound · wax

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — for sport
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — help
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — in cards

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