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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 116 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 · rock · tube · lean · fork · sharp · fall · pound

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tube — a container
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rock — a stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. lean — thin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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