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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a music group
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — to drill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — music
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. bore — gave birth

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