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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. land — a country
  21. roll — a list
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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