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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: staff · wax · pitch · rush · bat · bear · tube · pound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. staff — employees
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tube — the underground

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