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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · last · fan · face · drill · squash · wake · perch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — finally
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. face — part of the head
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — of ice
  15. drill — army training
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — final
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  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