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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: rush · last · saw · mark · fall · fan · pitcher · bear

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — final
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — to go on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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