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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. present — a gift
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. racket — a loud noise

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