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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: date · bass · clip · roll · ball · land · firm · band

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. firm — decided
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ball — a great time
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a ring
  13. clip — a video
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. firm — steady
  17. bass — low music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. firm — a company
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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