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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 · pitcher · tear · season · saw · fan · safe · ground

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. season — of the year
  12. ground — crushed
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — in sport
  15. tear — to rip
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a music group
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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