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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — hasty
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. band — a ring
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — a country
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. land — to come down
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rush — hurry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a music group
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to click
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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