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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: wind · object · foot · rock · rule · wax · season · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — in sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. object — an aim
  16. rule — a law
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rule — government
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — a break
  24. foot — a measure

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