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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: jam · mine · fall · rock · trunk · ground · race · fan

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. race — a contest
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fall — the season
  20. race — humankind
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — the earth
  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