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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 120 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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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: racket · patient · vault · arm · wax · fan · wind · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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