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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: firm · fan · hand · fall · charge · roll · bulb · race

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. race — the arms race
  9. charge — in control
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. firm — a company
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — humankind
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — steady
  21. roll — a list
  22. firm — decided
  23. charge — a price
  24. bulb — for light

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