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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 116 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: snap · cabinet · saw · bore · wax · pitch · cold · bulb

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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