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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: cap · game · fan · wax · bulb · bat · season · charge

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cap — of ice
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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