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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.

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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 · fall · wound · chest · temple · bark · pit · can

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — a box
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — of your body

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