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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — soda
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spell — magic
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pop — music

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