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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — the month
  3. current — electric
  4. object — to protest
  5. current — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — happening now
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — an aim
  13. content — the amount
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. object — a thing
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — music
  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