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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: pop · ball · cell · pitcher · wax · racket · season · rock

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cell — a phone
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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