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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: rush · wax · date · track · hand · season · ruler · rash

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rash — hasty
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — of the year
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. hand — help
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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