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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: mate · key · drill · ground · pitch · kid · prune · wax

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — crushed
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — a position
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. prune — to trim

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