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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.

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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: hide · spring · ball · pitch · bear · nail · bound · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hide — animal skin

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