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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. march — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. roll — a list
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fine — all right
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — the season
  23. shower — rain
  24. hide — to keep secret

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