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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: mine · spring · pitch · drill · bulb · wax · wind · cue

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. drill — the tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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