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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — a position
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. craft — boats
  19. lean — thin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. craft — a handicraft

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