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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. face — to point toward
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fall — to drop
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — a trail
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — the season
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a music group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — for digging
  24. face — to confront

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