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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.

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: season · bear · wax · mark · bat · mate · dip · foot

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wax — to grow
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mate — a friend
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bat — the animal

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