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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: mark · race · roll · pitch · land · wax · staff · foot

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — a trace
  5. race — the arms race
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — a measure
  14. land — ground
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wax — for sculpting

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