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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — help

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