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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. lean — to rest against
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — from a university
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  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