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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: spring · season · pitcher · cabinet · bear · temple · row · wax

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. row — a line
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — the season
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. season — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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