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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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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: coach · wax · fall · degree · firm · bulb · tube · pitch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — to grow
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — steady
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — completely

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