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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · stick · mine · bore · prune · hand · roll · bay

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — help
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mine — for digging

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