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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
468
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: staff · bass · safe · fork · date · shower · band · cap

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. band — a ring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cap — a hat
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. date — the fruit
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — of ice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. staff — employees
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cap — a lid

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