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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: chest · rash · bay · land · saw · band · date · rock

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. land — to come down
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — a series
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rash — hasty
  16. land — ground
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a music group
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — music
  23. band — a ring
  24. saw — the 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