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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: mug · season · roll · march · chest · wake · lie · shower

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — of the year
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a cup
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chest — of your body
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mug — a face
  18. chest — of your body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — to rob
  22. roll — a list
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. roll — on a roll

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