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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: pitch · wax · spell · bowl · board · lean · scale · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. board — a committee
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitch — completely
  24. march — the month

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