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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: season · cap · wax · fan · bowl · hand · jam · mug

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a face
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mug — a cup
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. season — in sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cap — a lid
  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