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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
468
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 · staff · fan · fall · hand · jam · bear · land

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fall — the season
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. staff — employees
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. land — ground
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — help
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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