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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 120 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: leaves · hand · firm · board · fan · wind · net · row

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a committee
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — for catching
  22. board — to get on
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. firm — decided

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