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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: rush · mine · chair · ruler · fan · bulb · file · saw

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fan — to cool the air

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