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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — a country
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — music
  10. land — to come down
  11. pop — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rest — a break
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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