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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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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: wax · straw · pitch · ground · bulb · mark · cabinet · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — a position
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. straw — dry grass

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