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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: chest · date · net · can · spell · fan · stand · pound

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — magic
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. net — in sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. net — after costs
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. can — a tin
  24. pound — a weight

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