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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
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: fan · cap · wound · plane · patient · saw · toast · mine

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. toast — bread
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — a tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mine — belonging to me

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