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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 120 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: squash · plane · row · fan · mine · staff · game · cabinet

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. squash — the sport
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. row — a line

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