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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 · lean · pit · bark · toast · bore · spell · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spell — magic
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lean — thin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — letters
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. toast — bread
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — a supporter
  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