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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chip — for betting
  4. season — of the year
  5. mug — a face
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — a coil
  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