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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — music
  9. hand — help
  10. wax — to grow
  11. press — a publisher
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. can — to be able to
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — newspapers
  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