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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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Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. clip — a video
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. clip — to cut
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — a subject
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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