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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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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: shower · saw · fan · cap · staff · season · band · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a ring
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — rain
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a music group
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — to wash
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — of the year

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