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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — of law
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. hand — help
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bank — for money

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