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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 120 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: fan · hide · spell · stand · bat · last · club · shower

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spell — magic
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — final
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. last — finally
  13. shower — rain
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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