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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · drill · wave · kid · rash · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. 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. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. drill — army training
  18. 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