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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. season — of the year
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — goods
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stock — shares
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fan — a supporter

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