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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.

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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: band · land · mug · pit · hand · spell · fan · bay

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — to rob
  6. land — ground
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a music group
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — magic
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spell — letters
  24. hand — help

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