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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: date · rush · bear · fan · foot · kick · cell · land

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. date — the fruit
  5. land — to come down
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. land — ground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kick — in football
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — a country
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. foot — the bottom

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