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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: fan · ground · cue · sharp · spring · fine · band · present

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spring — the season
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cue — a hint
  9. present — there
  10. ground — crushed
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. present — a gift
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — of water
  19. present — the time now
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fine — high quality

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