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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: land · mate · mug · wax · wind · lean · fan · row

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — a country
  8. lean — thin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — ground
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lean — to bend

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