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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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. scale — for weighing
  4. bound — certain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — the fish
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. shower — rain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. club — a group
  16. bass — low music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — obliged

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