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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: pitch · arm · tear · land · snap · foot · pitcher · wax

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — completely
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to click
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — to grow
  18. foot — a measure
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — a country
  22. tear — to rip
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — a sports field

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