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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — a gift
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. present — there
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. file — a line of people
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. present — the time now
  21. file — a tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. deal — an agreement

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