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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: pitch · face · band · present · cell · swing · wax · rock

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cell — a phone
  3. swing — in golf
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — there
  6. face — part of the head
  7. swing — music
  8. present — the time now
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. present — a gift
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — to confront

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