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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 116 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: cap · pitcher · game · mine · drill · saw · wave · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — a practice
  12. game — a match
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. drill — army training
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — for digging

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