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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: net · wax · cue · pitch · trunk · bound · cell · sharp

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wax — to grow
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bound — tied together
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bound — certain
  20. sharp — clever
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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