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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bank — of a river
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cell — a phone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. leaves — to go away

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