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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: date · wake · staff · fall · bound · fan · sharp · fine

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — certain
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — all right
  19. staff — a stick
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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