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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: cap · mug · game · wax · rush · season · fork · hand

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a face
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cap — a hat
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hand — help
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — in sport

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