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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: suit · charge · wax · hand · fall · plane · fan · calf

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — a price
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — to fit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — help
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — to grow
  20. charge — in control
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fall — the season
  24. wax — for sculpting

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