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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: pitch · bear · sharp · wax · foot · drill · fine · season

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitch — completely
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. drill — a practice
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. season — in sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. drill — army training
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — clever

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