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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. capital — money
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to point toward
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — hasty
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — in the ear

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