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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — happening now
  9. bank — of a river
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. current — electric
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — for money
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. snap — to click

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