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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 · leaves · pass · game · trunk · rule · mine · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — a law
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rule — government
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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