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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 · suit · lash · tear · march · field · cue

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — for pool
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cue — a signal
  12. march — music
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — farmland
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. tear — to rip
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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