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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. band — a music group
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spring — of water
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. cell — in biology
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bass — low music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the fish
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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