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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 120 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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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 · stem · cell · cue · pound · drill · wax · firm

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — a company
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. firm — steady
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pitch — completely
  14. drill — army training
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. firm — decided
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — to come from

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