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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 116 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: season · face · tube · bowl · spring · wax · bass · lash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — the season
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bass — the fish
  24. season — of the year

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