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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · drill · wave · field · row · chest · mug

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a face
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. field — farmland
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chest — a box
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — army training
  24. fan — a supporter

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