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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — the season
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — a stick
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fall — to drop
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — to come down

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