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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 116 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
468
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: bear · bay · wake · season · march · clip · mouse · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. march — music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — to cut
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — the month
  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