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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: wind · craft · wax · wave · season · branch · rule · bear

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rule — a law
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — government
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bear — the animal

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