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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: date · kid · wake · spell · craft · band · firm · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. march — the month
  2. spell — letters
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. band — a ring
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. march — music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. firm — decided
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — boats
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. firm — a company
  15. spell — magic
  16. kid — child
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a music group
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. firm — steady
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — a skill
  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