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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: season · wound · toast · track · stand · wax · spring · craft

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — of water
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. track — a path
  5. craft — a skill
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — bread
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. track — to keep track
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — a coil
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stand — to bear

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