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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: cabinet · wax · mate · pitcher · calf · spring · game · bat

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — to breed
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — for sculpting

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