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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: deal · last · pit · land · plane · wind · fan · jam

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. land — ground
  5. last — final
  6. land — a country
  7. pit — in a race
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. land — to come down
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — to go on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wind — to turn a key

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