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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: fork · squash · land · temple · band · bass · can · fan

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — low music
  4. land — ground
  5. fork — in a road
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — the sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — the fish
  23. band — a music group
  24. fan — a supporter

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