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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: cold · roll · rock · season · chair · fan · hand · bulb

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — in sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — to move gently

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