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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 · stick · plane · last · wind · pit · march · bulb

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — final
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — to go on
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

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