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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
468
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: racket · rule · stock · ball · season · shower · wind · wax

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. shower — rain
  17. rule — a law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — shares

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