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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: wax · pitcher · bore · stem · bay · ball · season · pit

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — in sport

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