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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: chair · season · bulb · wax · spell · trunk · pass · rest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. season — of the year
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — letters
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. spell — magic
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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