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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: file · wind · rule · row · squash · nail · fan · cabinet

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. file — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rule — government
  22. file — a document
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — a law

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