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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: pit · rule · season · hand · bank · rest · wax · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rule — a law
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. field — farmland
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — help
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rule — government

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