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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: bulb · pitch · season · cue · wax · ground · rest · root

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bulb — for light
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — of the year
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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