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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — soda
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spell — letters
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a ring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a music group
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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