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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. object — a thing
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — to protest
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fan — a supporter

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