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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: can · band · season · game · fan · tear · ruler · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a match
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. band — a ring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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