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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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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: swing · file · wake · band · cell · date · root · bear

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — in golf
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. swing — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cell — a phone
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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