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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
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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: pit · wax · leaves · season · bay · calf · key · content

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — the amount
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. key — in music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pit — a hole
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — to add flavour

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