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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.

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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: rock · march · lean · rule · wax · roll · net · lash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — for catching
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — after costs
  19. rock — a stone
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rule — a law
  24. march — music

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