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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rock — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — a price
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — help
  15. can — to be able to
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — a coil

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