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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — to grow
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — rain
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. suit — clothes
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. dip — to sink
  17. suit — to fit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — to wash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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