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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · ruler · bass · fall · track · fan · saw · mine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a path
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — the season
  10. kid — child
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ruler — for measuring

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