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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: rash · fan · bass · spring · field · band · ruler · mate

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. bass — the fish
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. band — a ring
  17. bass — low music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a partner
  22. field — for sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — the season

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