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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: bulb · fan · cap · spell · mate · band · date · content

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spell — magic
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — a friend
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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