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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · foot · season · fan · bark · charge · wax · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. charge — a price
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. season — in sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  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