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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.

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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: hand · stick · fine · wind · toast · scale · rest · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. toast — bread
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hand — part of the body

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