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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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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fall — to drop
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hand — help
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. jam — in traffic

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