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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 116 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: ruler · game · cue · season · bulb · mate · wax · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. track — a path
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — of the year
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — a match
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mate — to breed
  21. track — a song
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cue — a signal
  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