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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: can · wax · sharp · pitcher · branch · board · race · stick

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. race — a contest
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — to get on
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. race — humankind
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. board — a flat piece

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