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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: mouse · date · band · plane · spring · rest · content · season

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — a break
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — of water
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. season — in sport
  12. content — happy
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. content — the amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — the fruit

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