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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: fan · row · content · foot · drill · craft · rash · wave

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — a line
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — happy
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — to paddle

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