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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. game — a match
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fall — to drop

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