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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
468
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 · leaves · shower · hide · squash · key · date · chest

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. key — for a lock
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — rain
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — to wash
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the sport
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — lets stay

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