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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mug — a face
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mug — a cup
  24. shower — rain

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