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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 116 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: bowl · lean · trunk · net · fan · cap · drill · pop

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — after costs
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cap — of ice
  16. drill — army training
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. net — in sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — to bend

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