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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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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 · fall · pitch · lean · bear · cell · pitcher · craft

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — thin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lean — to bend
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — boats
  24. bear — the animal

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