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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: game · rush · calf · wind · bowl · wax · rule · wake

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bowl — a dish

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