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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: wax · stand · season · last · can · cell · bear · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — final
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — to bear
  15. club — a group
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. season — of the year
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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