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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: nail · spring · season · march · wax · mark · land · hide

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — a coil
  3. march — the month
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — the season
  24. land — ground

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