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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. date — the fruit
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — final
  19. stem — to come from
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — finally
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bear — to put up with

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