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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.

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: bowl · chip · saw · mate · wax · field · fan · rest

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. field — farmland
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rest — a break
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — for sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mate — a partner

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