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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: court · bank · band · net · fan · spell · arm · craft

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — in sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. craft — a skill
  16. net — for catching
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. spell — magic
  20. craft — boats
  21. court — of a king
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — after costs

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