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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: tear · squash · fan · leaves · can · plane · fine · wake

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fine — all right
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fine — high quality
  18. squash — to crush
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wake — a trail

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