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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: season · leaves · bear · wax · clip · rash · calf · cabinet

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — of the year
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — in sport

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