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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · rash · ruler · field · band · date · bass · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hand — help
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bass — low music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — farmland
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — a subject
  22. bass — the fish
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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