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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: pop · cold · game · can · season · roll · straw · wax

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. game — wild animals
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. can — a tin
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a match
  19. roll — a list
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — in the ear

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