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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 · game · last · snap · tear · wax · pass · bark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — finally
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tear — to rip
  11. last — to go on
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — final
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to click
  24. tear — from crying

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