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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
468
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 · nail · file · court · bore · bass · wax · root

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — for sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a document
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — of a word
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — low music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of law

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