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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: cabinet · nail · file · land · craft · fan · mark · wound

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — to come down
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a grade
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — a country
  15. file — a document
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. land — ground
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. fan — a supporter

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