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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.

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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: pitch · staff · row · cabinet · cell · face · wax · wake

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitch — completely
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — before a funeral

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