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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 · toast · shower · date · bank · band · stand · face

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — to wash
  9. toast — bread
  10. bank — of a river
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. net — in sport
  13. date — the fruit
  14. shower — rain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — to point toward
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bank — for money
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — after costs
  24. date — on the calendar

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