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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: last · key · fan · stem · hand · date · saw · wind

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — to come from
  4. last — finally
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — in music
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — to go on

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