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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to click
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chair — a leader
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. band — a music group
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. leaves — lets stay

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