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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — for a lock
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — in music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — the most important part
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. swing — music
  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