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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 · wound · tube · rule · board · net · spell · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — the underground
  7. net — after costs
  8. tube — a container
  9. spell — letters
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — in sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a committee
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — to rule out

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