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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: pit · track · bark · press · hand · pitcher · wax · arm

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. hand — help
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — to keep track
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — in cards
  16. track — a path
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a song
  24. press — to push

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