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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 116 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: game · wind · fine · stick · ground · row · band · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. game — a match
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a ring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a music group
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. fine — all right

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