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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · season · bowl · bay · lean · leaves · wax · pitch

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. band — a music group
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lean — to rest against

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