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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: swing · band · key · last · fine · calf · saw · date

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — to go on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. key — the most important part
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. last — final
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — all right
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — high quality

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