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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: club · fan · cap · track · straw · wound · mouse · deal

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — a path
  3. club — a group
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cap — a lid
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — to handle
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. track — a song
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. club — for dancing

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