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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · deal · hand · mug · file · season · wind · plane

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. deal — to handle
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. season — in sport
  9. toast — bread
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. file — a document
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. file — a tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. hand — help

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