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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: lean · ground · fan · cue · cell · plane · current · game

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. current — electric
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ground — the earth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. current — of water
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a match
  24. lean — to rest against

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