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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: bass · wax · wave · kick · last · land · pitch · fan

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. kick — in football
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bass — the fish
  14. last — final
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wave — with your hand

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