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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.

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: sharp · present · fan · safe · club · perch · bowl · wax

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. present — there
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. club — for golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — a group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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