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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: can · land · rash · board · ball · wound · fan · clip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. board — to get on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — ground
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. can — to be able to
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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