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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.

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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 · stock · rule · perch · chair · foot · land · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — a law
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stock — shares
  12. rule — government
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. foot — a measure
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wax — to grow

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