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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: rash · wax · mate · scale · season · bark · fork · spring

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — to breed
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spring — of water
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. scale — for weighing

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