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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · nail · wax · pit · land · pitch · drill · court

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — ground
  4. drill — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. pit — in a race
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitch — completely
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. land — a country
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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