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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. capital — a city
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kick — in football
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. wound — an injury

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