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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: wax · bear · season · face · rest · spell · cell · field

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. field — for sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spell — a short time
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rest — a break
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — in biology

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