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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
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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: fine · spell · fan · pop · perch · cold · craft · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — not warm
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fine — all right
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — letters
  12. cold — an illness
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. craft — boats
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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