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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · face · tube · bowl · spring · wax

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. face — to point toward
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — of water
  12. tube — a container
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — of the year

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