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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · track · coach · wax · pitch · mug · season · bark

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. season — in sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mug — to rob
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. clip — a video
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. clip — for paper

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