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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: firm · ball · row · band · racket · roll · leaves · fan

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. firm — steady
  4. ball — a dance
  5. band — a ring
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. firm — decided
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a great time
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a line
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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