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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · wake · chair · plane · toast · date · cap · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — of ice
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — employees
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — the fruit
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. toast — bread
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chair — a leader

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