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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lean — thin
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. can — a tin
  24. fan — to cool the air

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