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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: club · bear · stand · wax · object · kick · pitch · present

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — to bear
  5. object — a thing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. object — an aim
  9. wax — to grow
  10. club — a group
  11. present — there
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. present — the time now
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. object — to protest
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kick — in football

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