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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: date · cell · ground · cabinet · sharp · wind · bulb · fan

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — crushed
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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