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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: ground · fan · club · cabinet · bowl · prune · pop · craft

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pop — music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. craft — boats
  10. pop — soda
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — for golf
  24. craft — a handicraft

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