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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.

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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: cap · cell · season · march · wax · fall · arm · present

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fall — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — there
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. season — of the year

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