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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: fan · land · ball · board · tube · cabinet · rock · suit

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — clothes
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — the underground
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. land — ground
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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