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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. present — there
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — of water
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spring — the season
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — of the year

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