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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.

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: season · pitcher · spell · rock · cell · wax · can · wound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — magic
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — of the year
  19. rock — music
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. rock — a stone
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — a short time

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