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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — a face
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. band — a music group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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