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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: deal · wax · tube · pitcher · pitch · chair · date · ruler

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — to grow
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — the underground
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tube — a container

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