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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. date — the fruit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — of a river
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — the cause
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. root — of a word
  23. stand — to bear
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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