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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · rash · bowl · chair · bear · wax · pitcher · wave

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — farmland
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wave — of the sea

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