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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: bat · band · racket · wound · pound · wax · season · bear

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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