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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · rush · wax · fan · dip · chip · bear · cold

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cold — not warm
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rush — to hurry

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