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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: spell · wax · season · chair · tear · rush · face · wind

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. wax — to grow
  15. face — to confront
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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