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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pop · fan · toast · march · bound · deal · band

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. toast — bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — soda
  12. bound — obliged
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a ring
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — music
  23. march — the month
  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