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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — obliged
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — in music
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — the season
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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