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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: pound · pitcher · stem · mug · cap · band · wax · bulb

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stem — to come from
  21. band — a ring
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. band — a music group

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