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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 120 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: cabinet · tube · hand · spell · last · fan · row · object

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — letters
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hand — help
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. object — a thing
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — a short time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cabinet — ministers

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