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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: cell · fan · bass · wax · mouse · bound · season · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — a law
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — of the year
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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