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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wake — a trail
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. snap — to click
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — a series

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