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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: sharp · object · date · fan · wound · fine · band · bowl

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. object — a thing
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. object — to protest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fine — high quality
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a ring

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