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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cold — not warm
  4. spell — magic
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. season — in sport
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — letters
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — the fruit

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