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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · chair · bat · deal · fan · tube · wound · season

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tube — the underground
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — a container
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chair — a leader
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fall — to drop

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