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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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