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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: wind · coach · fan · game · leaves · date · wax · press

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — a match
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. date — the fruit
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — to push
  24. wind — moving 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