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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: shower · fan · craft · lie · fall · jam · cold · key

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. craft — a skill
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. fall — the season
  6. lie — to recline
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — in music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. shower — rain
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. craft — boats
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. key — for a lock
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cold — the Cold War

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