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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 116 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 ________________ the meat?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a ring
  8. track — to keep track
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to click
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mate — to breed

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