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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: arm · pitch · bear · wax · firm · deal · straw · press

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — to grow
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — to handle
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. firm — steady
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pitch — a sports field

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