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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: bat · sharp · dip · fan · lean · cabinet · wax · bass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lean — thin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wax — to grow
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bat — the animal

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