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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wake — a trail
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of a car

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