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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: jam · date · hand · rash · band · present · stand · fan

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. present — there
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. date — the fruit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. present — a gift

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