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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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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: deal · land · wax · fan · season · root · safe · game

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. root — the cause
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. season — in sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — of a word
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. season — of the year

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