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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bank — for money
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stand — to bear
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — the season
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  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