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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — of the year
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — in sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. march — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — a series
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

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