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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: rule · wax · bowl · season · wind · press · mate · net

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — after costs
  7. mate — to breed
  8. net — for catching
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — in sport
  17. rule — a law
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rule — government
  20. press — to push
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bowl — a dish

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