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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 116 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: cap · wax · leaves · deal · pound · season · hand · lean

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. season — in sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — to grow
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — of the year

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