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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 · object · stock · spell · fall · rule · deal · shower

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — government
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stock — shares
  10. object — an aim
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — a short time
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. rule — a law
  20. object — a thing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — to protest
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fan — a supporter

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