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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: game · rest · fan · rock · jam · plane · wax · sharp

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. game — wild animals
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rock — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rest — a break
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a match
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — to grow
  24. jam — in traffic

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