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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.

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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — the season
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chip — for betting

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