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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: wax · march · spell · chair · hand · rock · bowl · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. march — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — a short time
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spell — letters

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