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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: net · club · plane · wax · kid · rash · rule · leaves

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — a law
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. club — a group
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rule — government
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for dancing
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. net — 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