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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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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: bat · bark · ruler · lean · deal · pitch · chair · wax

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — thin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chair — a professorship

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