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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 120 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
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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: spring · rush · last · leaves · cell · wax · mate · cabinet

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — of water
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — final
  24. mate — to breed

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