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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: season · branch · drill · wax · pitch · cabinet · mate · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. branch — a division
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wax — to grow

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