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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · wound · fan · net · band · mine · toast · rule

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. net — for catching
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rule — a law
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a music group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — government
  20. toast — bread
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  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