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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.

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: pitch · hide · leaves · hand · wax · safe · fall · current

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — to grow
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — the season

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