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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — of the year
  10. object — an aim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. object — to protest
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. season — in sport

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