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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: rest · pitcher · drill · cap · wax · present · bound · season

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. present — the time now
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. season — in sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — a gift
  23. rest — what's left
  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