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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: rule · leaves · fan · row · pound · mine · fall · jam

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — for digging
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rule — a law
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rule — government
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pound — a weight
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — to go away

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