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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: pop · wax · rule · net · march · rest · fan · cap

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — a law
  7. net — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pop — soda
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. net — for catching
  24. wax — for sculpting

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