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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — army training
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. row — a line
  19. mark — a grade
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fan — a supporter

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