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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stand — on your feet

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