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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 · can · fork · saw · race · squash · cabinet · pitch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. race — a contest
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. saw — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. can — to be able to
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. can — a tin
  24. fork — to eat with

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