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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ball — a dance
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — of ice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — the most important part
  20. clip — a video
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. clip — for paper

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