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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: ground · mate · bulb · wax · pitcher · cabinet · coach · rest

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — a partner
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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