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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — thin
  3. toast — bread
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — ground
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. land — a country
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — to bend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bank — for money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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