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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. shower — to wash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pop — soda
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — rain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. craft — boats

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