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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: lie · field · fan · fine · plane · wound · season · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. band — a ring
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — in sport

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