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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: bore · craft · date · clip · fan · band · jam · land

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bore — to tire
  7. band — a ring
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. date — the fruit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. craft — boats
  16. land — a country
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. land — to come down
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. clip — a video
  21. craft — a skill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fan — a supporter

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