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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: clip · rash · bass · date · wax · bear · season · perch

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rash — hasty
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — a series
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — low music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — a video
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. perch — for a bird

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