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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.

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: bat · race · bark · wax · fan · press · plane · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. race — a contest
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. press — to push
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. race — humankind
  22. press — a publisher
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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