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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: deal · cell · prune · staff · dip · bay · wax · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. staff — employees
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. staff — employees
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cell — in biology
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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