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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: mine · trunk · board · plane · shower · fine · fan · wind

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — to get on
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — rain

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