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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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