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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 116 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: present · wind · plane · bound · fan · land

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — certain
  9. present — the time now
  10. land — a country
  11. present — there
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — ground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bound — obliged

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