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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — all right
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — a hat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — to get on
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. board — a committee
  22. branch — a division
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fine — a penalty

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