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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: squash · ground · present · date · current · fall · hand · fan

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. date — the fruit
  3. present — there
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — help
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — the season
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — electric
  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