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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: racket · bowl · kid · mark · wax · spell · rule · pop

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — child
  14. rule — government
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rule — a law
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — a short time

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