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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: cap · rock · pitch · tear · wax · bound · net · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rock — music
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wax — in the ear

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