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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
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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: net · bore · rash · stand · fork · fan · fine · clip

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — in sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stand — to bear
  18. net — after costs
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. clip — a video
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fork — to eat with

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