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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 120 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: game · fan · bound · lean · leaves · hand · stick · drill

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — army training
  12. bound — obliged
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — thin

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