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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: pitch · squash · bowl · land · nail · bass · net · wax

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bass — low music
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — completely
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — after costs

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