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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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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: mate · rest · season · roll · wax · can · tube · march

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — a break
  6. can — a tin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tube — the underground
  19. roll — a list
  20. march — the month
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. roll — a cake
  24. 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