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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: bear · race · present · wax · march · racket · season · pass

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. present — there
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wax — to grow
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. present — a gift
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — the month

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