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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: fan · wind · bulb · leaves · trunk · pound · face · key

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. key — for a lock
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — moving air

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