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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
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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: mouse · plane · sharp · swing · season · fan · capital · wax

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. swing — in golf
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. swing — music
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. season — of the year
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wax — to grow
  24. plane — in geometry

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