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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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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: fall · file · field · stick · bay · date · wax · pitch

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. file — a line of people
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a tool
  16. field — a subject
  17. date — the fruit
  18. field — for sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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