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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.

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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 · cap · field · season · mark · drill · trunk · spring

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cap — of ice
  10. field — a subject
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spring — of water
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — farmland

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