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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: wave · season · field · wake · content · chair · mug · rash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — in sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. chair — a leader
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rash — hasty

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