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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: season · clip · suit · bound · fall · rush · wax · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — certain
  4. wax — to grow
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — the season
  11. season — in sport
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fall — to drop
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. clip — a video

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