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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: cap · track · fan · pitch · fall · temple · sharp · wax

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. track — a path
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cap — a lid
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — of ice
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. wax — for sculpting

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