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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: bore · bowl · prune · fan · capital · face · bass · can

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — a tin
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. face — to point toward
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. capital — money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — to confront

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