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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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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — the season
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — to shout
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — a football final

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