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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. board — a committee
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — to get on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bank — for money

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