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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a music group
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. rock — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a ring
  19. bank — for money
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wake — a trail
  24. foot — part of the body

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