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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: bay · current · race · chair · toast · spring · fan · band

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. race — humankind
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a music group
  10. race — a contest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — electric
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. current — of water
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — happening now

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