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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: cabinet · court · lie · tube · fan · season · wax · bear

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — the underground
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — for sport

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