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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rule — government
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to bend

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