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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: bound · hand · kick · fan · plane · file · wind · nail

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a line of people

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