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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · mouse · wax · clip · present · season · pass · cold

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — in sport
  8. clip — to cut
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. season — of the year
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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