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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: cap · club · fan · net · wound · march · row · can

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — a group
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — a hat
  12. club — for golf
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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