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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: wax · dip · squash · lie · hand · band · wake · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — to recline
  7. squash — the sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — completely
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a ring

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