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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: fan · band · staff · season · ruler · mine · present · wound

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a music group
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — the time now
  8. season — in sport
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. present — there
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — of the year
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — belonging to me

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