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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: pitch · mate · branch · rock · wax · deal · kid · bore

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rock — music
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — a division
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — to tease

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