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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: firm · band · chest · spell · leaves · track · date · lash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. firm — decided
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chest — a box
  5. firm — steady
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — letters
  10. date — the fruit
  11. firm — a company
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. date — on the calendar

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