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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 116 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: board · land · spring · mate · fork · craft · band · fan

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. craft — boats
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. band — a ring
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. fork — in a road
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — to get on
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — a friend
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — ground

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