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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 120 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
468
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: fan · degree · hide · content · mouse · wax · pop · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pop — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. content — happy

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