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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: key · perch · wax · rush · bass · spring · rule · rock

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. rule — government
  8. rock — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spring — the season
  18. key — for a lock
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — hurry
  23. key — in music
  24. rule — a law

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