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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: hide · fork · degree · fine · pitch · wax · wave · lean

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lean — thin

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