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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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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: wind · toast · bear · pass · date · key · band · prune

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a music group
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a ring
  19. toast — bread
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — for a lock

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