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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: land · plane · jam · can · scale · fork · fan · file

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. can — to be able to
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. file — a document
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — a country
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. land — ground
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. can — a tin

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