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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: wax · mark · wake · kid · rash · cell · lie · season

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — a series
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — child
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — a phone

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