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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 · fan · content · date · toast · drill · rest · stick

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — army training
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. content — the amount
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. band — a ring
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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