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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.

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: pit · band · leaves · coach · wax · cell · pitcher · wound

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a ring
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. band — a music group
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — in a prison

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