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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: wax · spring · can · pitch · bat · rock · club · field

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. field — a subject
  4. wax — to grow
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. club — a group
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — to be able 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