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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mug — to rob
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — a face
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fall — to drop

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