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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 · rule · bark · wake · fine · ball · saw · date

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rule — a law
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — all right
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rule — government
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wake — a trail
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a great time
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — to cool the air

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