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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 120 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: wax · prune · bear · mate · mine · game · season · march

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wax — to grow
  3. prune — to trim
  4. game — a match
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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