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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: season · fall · rock · fan · drill · last · rush · arm

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. last — final
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. last — to go on
  11. season — in sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — army training
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fall — to drop

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