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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.

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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: kid · plane · fall · leaves · current · fan · lean · bass

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — low music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kid — child
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lean — thin
  22. current — electric
  23. kid — to tease
  24. current — happening now

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