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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 to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lean — thin
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — low music
  8. court — for sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — a line

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