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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: pit · bowl · stem · wax · wind · pitcher · spell · pitch

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — magic
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spell — letters
  24. bowl — a dish

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