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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: club · wax · season · rush · lash · kick · ruler · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spring — of water
  5. season — in sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. kick — in football
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. club — a group
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wax — to grow
  19. season — of the year
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. kick — a thrill

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