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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: spring · craft · band · bore · bat · fan · fork · bay

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spring — of water
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bore — to tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. craft — boats
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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