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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. club — a group
  5. charge — a price
  6. track — a song
  7. club — for golf
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — electricity
  10. club — for dancing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — to come from
  14. track — a path
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. last — finally
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — final
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — to go on

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