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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 116 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: fan · wax · present · coach · season · content · bore · firm

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. content — the amount
  8. firm — a company
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. present — a gift
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. content — happy
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — to drill
  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