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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.

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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 · fan · date · trunk · fall · rock · game · band

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — a stone
  17. band — a music group
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — a match
  23. wax — to grow
  24. trunk — of a car

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