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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · bowl · prune · shower · pound · arm · track · fine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a song
  7. shower — to wash
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — a path
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fine — all right
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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