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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: bear · capital · date · band · saw · jam · object · fall

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — an aim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. capital — a city
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. object — a thing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. saw — the tool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. object — to protest
  23. bear — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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