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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: chair · fan · tear · trunk · can · rock · wake · pitcher

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rock — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — to cool the 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