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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in biology
  5. season — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. roll — a list
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — to roll

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