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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · nail · bowl · wax · bark · last · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rock — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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