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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: fine · racket · fan · wax · craft · pitch · chair · spring

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — all right
  18. craft — a skill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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