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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: fan · can · spell · mark · band · root · straw · face

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. root — the cause
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to confront
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a music group
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. can — to be able to
  16. root — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a word
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — magic

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