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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 120 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: cue · present · bear · fan · bat · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bat — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — a gift
  7. cue — a signal
  8. present — the time now
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. present — there
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. 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