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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: game · wax · spell · season · lean · bowl · row · rule

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — government
  3. game — a match
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — in sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. rule — a law
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — magic
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — to rule out

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