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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bass — low music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fork — to eat with

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