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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: rush · wax · arm · mine · season · fan · fall · chip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fan — to cool the air

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