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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: toast · fork · patient · tube · stand · kid · wax · pitch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tube — a container
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kid — child
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fork — in a road

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