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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: nail · wind · pitch · march · cabinet · sharp · wax · suit

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. march — music
  3. suit — clothes
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. suit — in cards
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. suit — to fit
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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