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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: key · pitch · wax · wave · cold · bulb · patient · land

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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. wave — a sudden rise
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cold — not warm
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. land — a country
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cold — an illness
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — to grow

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