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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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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: present · wave · bear · season · cell · snap

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. present — the time now
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — in sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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