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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 120 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: wound · prune · fork · fan · band · temple · current · can

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a music group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — of water
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a rubber band

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