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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 120 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: race · pitch · can · swing · fan · wax · firm · hand

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — help
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. firm — a company
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — decided
  23. swing — in golf
  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