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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pound — a weight
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — a practice
  13. craft — boats
  14. drill — army training
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — a skill

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