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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — the season
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — in biology
  23. season — of the year
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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