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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: wax · saw · file · ball · cue · fan · season · fall

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — a hint
  5. file — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a document
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — in sport
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fall — the season
  24. wax — to grow

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