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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: stick · fan · cold · spell · wax · chair · rest · nail

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — a break
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — not warm
  20. spell — magic
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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