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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: jam · nail · coach · cell · fan · perch · wax · ball

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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