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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · drill · band · date · fork · nail · wave · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. court — of law
  12. date — the fruit
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — for sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a ring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — of a king
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fork — a garden tool

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