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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: jam · capital · rule · tube · bark · key · season · wax

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. season — in sport
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — a law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — a city
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rule — government
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — a container
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — money
  24. rule — to rule out

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