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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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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: cold · wax · snap · wound · bay · cabinet · stick · pitch

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. snap — to click
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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