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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — help
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wind — moving air

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