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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 120 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: pitcher · coach · spring · wax · cue · bear · bowl · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cue — a hint
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — help
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spring — the season
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bear — the animal

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