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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: row · can · chest · wake · bear · cue · date · fan

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. can — a tin
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cue — a signal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cue — for pool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — a line
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cue — a hint
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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