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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: band · bound · straw · pass · staff · mate · track · date

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — a partner
  3. date — the fruit
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mate — a friend
  7. track — to keep track
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a ring
  11. track — a path
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. track — a song

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