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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: field · nail · fan · land · suit · wind · file · bank

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — for sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — to come down
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — ground
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. file — a document
  18. bank — of a river
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — to turn a key

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