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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — soda
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — in cards
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. tear — to rip
  21. toast — bread
  22. track — to keep track
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. tear — from crying

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