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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.

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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: bowl · tear · band · craft · wax · content · spring · season

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — the season
  5. craft — boats
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a music group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — in sport
  23. craft — a skill
  24. content — the amount

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