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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — a break
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — what's left
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — a series
  20. roll — a list
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cold — the Cold War

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