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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: hand · wave · cabinet · drill · pitcher · can · fan · mate

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. hand — in cards
  4. drill — army training
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — a practice

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