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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.

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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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 path
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — to drop
  10. capital — a city
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a ring
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fall — to drop
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a music group

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