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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 120 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: mine · racket · drill · present · band · fine · clip · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. band — a music group
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. clip — for paper
  7. drill — a practice
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a ring
  13. present — there
  14. fine — all right
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fine — high quality
  24. racket — for tennis

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