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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: fan · can · scale · stem · hand · file · racket · wind

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. file — a document
  22. scale — in music
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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