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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: wax · pitch · roll · field · root · rush · date · rock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — a stone
  4. root — of a word
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rush — hurry
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitch — completely
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a list
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — for sport

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