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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: cap · swing · fan · board · bulb · branch · straw · wax

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wax — to grow
  6. board — to get on
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — a lid
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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