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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 · rush · saw · fan · kick · row · fine · leaves

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — a line
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — to paddle
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rush — hurry

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