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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 116 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: season · last · perch · wave · ball · bass · spring · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. last — final
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spring — of water
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — to go on
  23. ball — a dance
  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