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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: can · season · trunk · bound · fan · rule · kid · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rule — government
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — in sport
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — certain
  19. rule — a law
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — to add flavour

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