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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — all right
  4. club — for golf
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — a group
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — of a tree

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