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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: wax · swing · racket · pitch · leaves · bulb · pound · present

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pound — to hit hard

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