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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
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: net · season · wax · fan · toast · cell · squash · leaves

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. squash — the sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — to crush
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cell — a phone

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