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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: band · firm · fan · key · mate · object · row · rest

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rest — a break
  5. row — a line
  6. firm — decided
  7. key — the most important part
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — for a lock
  12. object — a thing
  13. band — a music group
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a ring
  16. object — to protest
  17. key — in music
  18. firm — a company
  19. object — an aim
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. firm — steady
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. 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