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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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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: hide · pitcher · wax · toast · racket · ground · land · leaves

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — crushed
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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