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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · band · foot · march · date · plane · squash · patient

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — not warm
  6. squash — to crush
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — a measure
  19. march — music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. march — the month

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