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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 · pit · date · bass · rock · stem · spring · mug

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spring — the season
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — of water
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mug — a face
  17. band — a ring
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — the fish
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. band — a music group
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mug — to rob

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