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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: net · rest · band · date · ball · club · leaves · present

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — in sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. present — there
  16. club — a group
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — a gift
  19. rest — a break
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — the fruit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rest — what's left

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