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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
468
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: wind · ruler · scale · fan · fine · drill · stem · lean

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fine — high quality
  21. scale — in music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lean — thin

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