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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: rule · mate · wax · cell · jam · lean · pitcher · rock

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — music
  4. rule — a law
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rule — government
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cell — in biology
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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