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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: wake · band · lean · cap · lie · cell · bore · date

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a ring
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cell — in biology
  24. band — a music group

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