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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: bowl · land · mouse · club · wax · stand · last · pitch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. club — for golf
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. last — to go on
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. club — a group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. land — a country
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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