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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 · pitch · nail · squash · bear · row · chest · cell

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — to crush
  23. row — a line
  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