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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 116 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: bay · rest · march · pitcher · pitch · wax · press · land

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — to come down
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. press — to push
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — music
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. press — newspapers

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