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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. shower — rain
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — in sport
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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