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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. last — to go on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rest — a break
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — finally
  12. club — for golf
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — final
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — army training
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bass — low music
  22. club — for dancing
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — in sport

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