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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: rock · cell · wax · fall · roll · straw · mine · fan

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wax — to grow
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rock — a stone
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — the season
  24. fan — a supporter

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