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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 · board · lash · pitch · bass · row · deal · ground

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — a committee
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a line
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wax — to grow

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