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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: wind · hand · drill · clip · bay · foot · safe · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — a practice
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — help
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. clip — to cut

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