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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — the season
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — a grade
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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