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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.

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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: wind · fan · march · lie · safe · club · land · prune

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — a group
  4. lie — to recline
  5. club — for golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. land — to come down
  12. march — the month
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. land — a country
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — ground
  24. prune — to trim

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