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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a music group
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — in cards
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — a trail
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — to point toward
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a ring

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