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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · wax · safe · vault · season · rest · rule · hand

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — government
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rule — a law
  10. rest — a break
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — to grow
  24. safe — out of danger

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