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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — to shout
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. season — in sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — high quality

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