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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — a series
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — for pool
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spring — of water
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cue — a hint

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