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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — the month
  5. spring — of water
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. present — there
  8. toast — bread
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spring — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. march — music
  24. bear — the animal

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