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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rash — a series
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — for money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — in sport
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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