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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: roll · lean · wax · rush · fan · rule · chest · ball

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. ball — a dance
  22. roll — a list
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lean — to rest against

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