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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — a hat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — certain
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — a country
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cap — a lid

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