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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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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: fan · stand · last · pitch · kick · wax · ruler · bank

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. kick — in football
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — finally
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kick — with a leg

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