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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: wind · staff · fan · fork · mate · sharp · toast · band

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. band — a ring
  16. toast — bread
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. band — a music group
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. staff — employees
  24. toast — the most admired

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