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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a match
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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