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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — to grow
  5. key — in music
  6. fine — all right
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fan — to cool the air

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