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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 · rush · mark · fine · rule · bulb · wax · cold

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cold — not warm
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rule — a law
  22. fine — all right
  23. rule — government
  24. season — in sport

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