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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rash — a series
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — moving 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