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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: wax · bark · court · season · rule · wake · saw · rash

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — for sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. court — of law
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. court — of a king

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