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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: chest · ball · saw · fall · toast · leaves · season · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — of the year
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chest — a box
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chest — of your body
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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