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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: fine · fan · last · fall · mark · press · scale · wax

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — finally
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — the season
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — to push
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fine — all right
  19. wax — to grow
  20. scale — in music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fan — to cool the air

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