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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · cap · drill · chair · spring · wake · court · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. drill — army training
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spring — the season

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