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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.

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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: calf · pitch · tear · band · wax · rock · swing · track

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. rock — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. swing — music
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a path

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