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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
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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: season · perch · pass · pit · mine · temple · file · wax

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mine — for digging
  5. file — a tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pit — a hole
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. file — a document
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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