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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · wax · clip · pitch · season · leaves · deal · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — completely
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. clip — a video
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — of the year
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — of ice
  14. season — in sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wake — before a funeral

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