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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
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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: ball · pop · coach · spring · wax · pitch · bound · capital

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — of water
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — certain
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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