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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — all right
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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