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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: cap · nail · fan · bowl · bore · dip · field · wake

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bore — to tire
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to drill

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