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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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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: wax · rest · march · row · shower · rule · bulb · mouse

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rule — a law
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rest — what's left

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