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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: fan · chair · fork · bass · land · band · ball · mug

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mug — a face
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — to come down

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