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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: wax · swing · mate · bat · pitch · bear · racket · lash

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bear — the animal

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