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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: wound · fan · band · game · bear · fork · cap · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a match
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cap — a hat
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a ring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bowl — to roll

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