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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: mine · wax · staff · season · wind · rush · rule · dip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rule — government
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — a sauce

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