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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.

Make a worksheet

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: club · plane · mine · drill · clip · rock · fan · fork

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fork — in a road
  9. drill — army training
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. club — for dancing
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mine — for digging
  18. clip — a video
  19. rock — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. drill — the tool
  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