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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a music group
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cabinet — ministers

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