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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 120 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
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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: fan · deal · cell · bulb · spell · wax · calf · saw

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spell — letters
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spell — magic
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cell — a phone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — in a prison

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