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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — the month
  3. root — the cause
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rash — a series
  16. club — for golf
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. club — a group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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