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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
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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: fan · mine · spell · club · capital · cap · saw · wax

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  2. wax — to grow
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spell — magic
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — money
  15. cap — a lid
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — for digging
  23. club — for golf
  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