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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: can · nail · net · roll · fan · fall · pop · bowl

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — in sport
  4. pop — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — to visit
  10. can — a tin
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — for catching
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. roll — a list
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — after costs

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