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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: toast · bound · tear · fan · plane · drill · racket · bay

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. toast — bread
  13. drill — army training
  14. bound — obliged
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — a tool

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