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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mark — a trace
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bore — to tire

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