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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — a practice
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — army training
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — of water
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. racket — for tennis

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