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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fine — all right
  7. pass — a permit
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mug — a face
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pass — to spend time

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