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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — of the year
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — a stick
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — a football final

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