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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 · mine · season · ruler · track · wax · shower · can

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — a tin
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — a friend
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — to wash
  20. track — a path
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — a song
  24. mate — to breed

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