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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — the month
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. suit — to fit
  10. tube — a container
  11. march — music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — clothes
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — of water
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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