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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — a line
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mark — a trace

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