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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.

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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: deal · wax · rock · present · drill · hand · file · pitch

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. file — a tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — army training
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a line of people

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