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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: row · band · stand · fan · tube · season · court · lie

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a music group
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. season — of the year
  22. court — for sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a rubber band

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