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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 120 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: racket · wax · staff · perch · field · pop · pitch · band

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — farmland
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — for sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — the fish

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