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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — to bend
  4. firm — steady
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lean — thin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — decided
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — hasty
  23. firm — a company
  24. rash — a series

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