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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 116 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: hand · fan · cell · firm · swing · pound · land · saw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. firm — a company
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. pound — a weight
  7. swing — to play on
  8. land — ground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. swing — in golf
  11. firm — steady
  12. swing — music
  13. hand — help
  14. land — to come down
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. land — a country
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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