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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.

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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: arm · patient · wax · kick · pitch · cap · bat · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — in football
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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