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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 · club · fan · object · sharp · trunk · mine · content

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. object — a thing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — for golf
  9. content — happy
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — a group
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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