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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wave — of the sea

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