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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: fan · march · cue · squash · bear · nail · bound · last

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cue — a hint
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. squash — to crush
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. march — music

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