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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
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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: rock · fine · cue · lean · bark · wind · land · saw

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fine — high quality
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lean — thin
  24. bark — to shout

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