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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
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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: season · rush · wind · mug · rash · bound · wax · fan

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. season — in sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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