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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · branch · chair · clip · march · pit · firm · wax

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. firm — a company
  3. wax — to grow
  4. firm — steady
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chair — a leader
  16. branch — a division
  17. pit — a hole
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. march — music

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