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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · fan · wave · band · saw · foot · craft · club

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — boats
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. club — for golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. foot — a measure
  15. band — a music group
  16. club — a group
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fan — to cool the air

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