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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 · fan · fork · wax · cabinet · leaves · pitch · ground

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ground — a position
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — the earth
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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