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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — of a tree

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