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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. court — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. game — a match
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. rash — a series
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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