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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: suit · season · bowl · drill · ruler · wax · spring · date

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — a practice
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — of the year
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — army training
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — of water
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — the season
  17. drill — the tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. suit — to fit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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