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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the fish
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fine — high quality
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — ground
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. craft — boats
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. band — a ring

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