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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — a series
  3. pop — soda
  4. firm — a company
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pop — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. firm — steady
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. firm — decided

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