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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: pitch · charge · squash · patient · current · last · wax · march

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. last — final
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. last — finally
  23. march — music
  24. squash — to crush

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