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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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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: bear · suit · fan · wake · pound · wind · cap · bat

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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