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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: current · tear · pound · bowl · chest · season · fan · pit

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. current — happening now
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. current — electric
  23. chest — a box
  24. pound — to hit hard

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