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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 116 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: staff · fan · mug · wax · mine · wind · row · court

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. court — of a king
  7. mug — to rob
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — of law
  14. staff — employees
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — for digging

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