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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 120 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: tube · bank · season · trunk · cold · rock · pass · wax

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — a permit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bank — for money
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. season — of the year

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