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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 116 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: present · pit · rush · band · rest · wax · pitch · row

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. row — a line
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitch — completely
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. present — a gift
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. present — there
  19. band — a music group
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a ring

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