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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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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: season · craft · wax · drill · cue · stand · pitch · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — a signal
  3. drill — army training
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. craft — boats
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cold — not warm
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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