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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: rush · lean · pitch · hand · safe · row · wax · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rush — hurry
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pop — soda
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — a line
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — part of the body

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