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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · saw · fork · cap · staff · wound · mouse

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — a lid
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. mouse — the animal

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