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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rock — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. season — of the year
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hand — help
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bore — to drill

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