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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rock — music
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — to wash
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — of the year
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — thin

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