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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: stand · sharp · pitch · spring · dip · face · wax · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chair — a leader

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