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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: bear · face · fan · racket · ground · club · toast · shower

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to confront
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — a position
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ground — crushed
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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