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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: pitch · chair · pitcher · wake · perch · root · wax · fork

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitch — completely
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fork — in a road
  10. root — of a word
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — the cause
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  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