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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 · hand · field · perch · jam · fan · ruler · lean

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. field — farmland
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lean — to bend
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — thin
  24. hand — in cards

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