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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: bear · fall · rash · band · fan · fine · chair · toast

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fall — the season
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bear — the animal
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — bread
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fine — all right
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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