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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: net · band · fan · rest · bear · date · cell · fork

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — a break
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. band — a music group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — for catching
  21. band — a ring
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fork — in a road

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